The terrorist attack and fire that killed at least 137 people in Russia occurred at Crocus City Hall, a theater located in the northwestern suburbs of Moscow, Russia. The Crocus City Hall is part of an extensive complex consisting of three pavilions with a shopping centre, a conference centre, several hotels and restaurants. The theater can accommodate up to 6,200 people. According to Russian security services, in addition to the 133 people killed, 152 were injured, and of these around 60 are in serious condition. The attack was on Friday evening claimed by ISIS, which did not specify which group specifically organized and carried out the attack, but according to US intelligence it was ISIS-K, a terrorist group affiliated with ISIS and active mainly in Afghanistan.
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The attack was carried out a few minutes before the start of a concert by Picnic, a Russian rock band. Over six thousand tickets had been purchased for the concert and as can be seen from the videos released after the attack many people were already seated in their seats. At least 100 people were rescued from the basement of the building, where they had taken refuge from the gunfire.
The theater seating map (Crocus City Hall)
The Crocus City Hall theater is located in pavilion 3 of the entire complex. The attackers fired both inside the theatre, entering from the left side of the stalls, and at the entrance to the pavilion. As some videos show, several people were killed at the entrance to the theater, a few meters from the glass doors at the entrance to the complex. Other people were killed near the escalators leading to the first floor.
According to Russian security services, the terrorists used automatic weapons to shoot, and started a fire using explosives and flammable liquid after blocking the doors: many people died of poisoning. The fire caused part of the roof to collapse and was put out thanks to the intervention of firefighting helicopters and several fire brigade teams.
The Crocus City Hall map (Google Earth)
The Crocus City Hall is located in Krasnogorsk, a city of almost 120 thousand inhabitants on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow. The city is located on the edge of the MKAD, the expressway that surrounds the Russian capital. The police have arrested 11 people suspected of having participated or contributed to the organization of the attack, and among them there would also be the men who broke in and shot in the theater. It seems that some Tajikistan passports were found in the car in which they were fleeing.